Tripping mechanism por platen presses



Sept. '14., 1926. 1,599,788

- S. H. PLUM, 2D., ET AL TRIPPING MECHANISM FOR PLATEN PRESSES al Filed 11. 1925 5 Sheets$heet 2 Fla-E WHY/7% a r town Patented Sept. 14, 1926.

4". UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN HAINES PLUM, 2!), OF MADISON, AND AMOS ACKLEY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JER- SEY, ASSIGNOBS T AMERICAN TYPE FOUNDERS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TRIPTPING MECHANISM FOR PLATEN PRESSES.

Original application filed. February 11, 1925, Serial No. 8,441. Divided and this application filed July 30,

This invention relates to automatic printing machinery, and has particular reference to an automatic tripping mechanism for job platen presses of the type of the Chandler and Price ob press. More particularly this invention relates to a tripping mechanism such as is disclosed in our pending application for a patent filed February 11, 1925, Serial No. 8441 of which this application is a division.

In some respects this invention also refers to certain improvements in the automatic feeding mechanism disclosed in the U. S. Patent No. 1,476,829 dated December 11, 1923, to L. E. Morrison.

The object of this invention is to provide a tripping mechanism of generally improved character and containing certain novel features of construction and operation adapted to cooperate with the mechanisms disclosed in said application and patent. Accordingly this invention comprises such features, arrangements and combinations of parts as are hereinafter set forth while reference is had to the accompanying drawings. in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a, platen press equipped with an automatic feeding mechanism embodying the invention, with parts omitted and parts broken away.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the press which has been omitted in Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a detailed side view of parts of the tripping mechanism shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Figure 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of'parts shown in Figure 3.

Fig. 7 isa plan view of the tripping mechanism with parts omitted and broken away. i Fig. 8 is a detail view of parts of the tripping mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a detail view of parts shown Figure 7.

The press itself is illustrated only in outline as it is a well known machine in the art. The frame of the press is designated 3, the driving shaft 4. 5 is the platen pivot 6 the platen and 7 the term membeit 9 and.

Serial No. 47,139.

10 are the usual connecting rods and 11 the platen locking cam. The connecting rod 9 appears in Figures 1 and 2, and the connecting rod 10 appears in Figure 7. 13 indicates the tripping means in Figure 1 and 14 the tripping lever pivoted at 12. All of the aforesaid parts, their construction and operation are well known in the art and require no further description or illustration. i

The paper 15 to be printed-is supported on an inclined feed table 18 which rests on suitable side brackets 20 secured to the press.

The top sheet is separated from the pile and conveyed to the platen by suction nozzles. The details of the suction nozzle and the separating mechanism is fully disclosed in the aforesaid pending application to which reference is made. For the purposes of understanding the operation of the tripping mechanism it suffices to point out that the suction nozzle is in the form of a suction cup 53 suitably carried on a nozzle support 57. The nozzle support 57 is clamped to a shaft 72 which is journaled in the swinging arms 75 and 76 one on each side of the feed table. The arms 7 5 and 76 are pivoted on a shaft 67 which is supported in suitable brackets 68 and from the said shaft extends the elements marked 66 and which constitute a transfer table. The upper ends of the arms 75 and 76 are connected by a tube 77 and a rod 78.

The arrangement is such that the arms 75 and 76 oscillate on the said shaft 67 from the position shown in Figure 1 where the nozzle 53 picks up the top sheet after which the arms move to the left in the said figure to convey the sheet and deposit it upon the transfer table 66 from which it drops upon the platen when the latter is in its sheet receiving position as will be understood.

The arms 75 and 76 are operated from the v connecting rod 10 by means of a link 98 pivoted to a bell crank 100 which in turn is pivoted at 96 to acasting suitably supported on the press. The numeral 91 denotes a rock shaft, one end of which is connected by links 93 and 101 to the aforesaid bell crank 1.00. The ether and Q1": the reels nae.

shaft carries an arm which is connected by a link 89 to the arm 75. Suction is applied to the nozzles by means of a suction air pump 106 pivoted to the said casting 95. The pump piston stein 107 is pivoted to the connecting rod 10. From the pump 106 an air hose 108 leads to a valve chest 109 and from the latter a hose connection, 110 leads to the hollow tube 77 and from the latter hose connections 52 lead to the suction nozzles.

All of the aforesaid elements are dis closed in detail in the aforesaid peiiding application to which reference is made for complete detailed understanding for the operation for separating the top sheet from the pile and conveying to the platen and the reference numbers used herein are the same as used in the said application for the same elements to facilitate reference thereto.

Means are provided for tripping the press when the suction nozzles fail to pick up a sheet for any reason. Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the form member 7 is connected in the usual manner to an eccentric shaft by means not shown. 131 is an arm secured to the shaft and the arm 131 is connected by a link 132 to another arm 133 fast to a shaft 134. The latter carries a slotted arm 135. 136 is a pin which moves in the slot in arm 135. The pin is fast in a locking arm 137 mounted on a second shaft 138. Untside the frame the shaft 138 carries a arm 1.39 connected by a link 140 to the tripping lever 14 which is pivoted at 12. The foregoing describes the well known Chandler S: Price job press tripping mechanism.

hen the tripping lever 14 is moved to the left in Figure 1 by the operator, the shaft 138 is rotated anticlockwise. The shaft 134 is rotated clockwise. The link 132 is lifted and swings the arm 131 to rotate the eccentric shaft 130 to trip the form.

I All in a well known manner.

This invention provides automatic means for operating the tripping lever 14 to trip the press. Referring first to Figures 1 and 3, the tripping lever 14 is provided with two headed pins 140 and 141 which support a trip latch 142 in the form of a thin flat piece of metal having a handle 143 at its upper end and a cam 144 at its lower end. The trip latch is held in normal inactive position as in Figure 1 by the said pin 140 which passes through an L shaped slot 145. [it its lower end the trip latch has a straight slot. 146 through which the lower pin 141 passes. The trip latch 142 is bent as at 147, Figure 8, to provide a pocket 148 between itself and the tripping lever 14, and within said pocket slides a trip hook lever 149 which is pivoted at 1.30 on the form member on the outside thereof. The lever 149 has a hook 150.

Normally the trip hook lever moves with the form member and slides idly back and forth in the said pocket 14S and is prevented from engaging the lower pin 1 1 because the said lever rides on the said cam 144. Means, to be hereinafter described, are provided for knocking the trip latch 142 off the upper pin 140, and the trip latch will then slide down until the upper edges of the two slots and 146 come to rest on the pins 140 and 141. Thus the pin 141 is exposed and on the rearward stroke, to the left in Figure 1, of the form member the hook 150 on the lever 149 will catch the lower pin 141 and pull the tripping lever into tripping position to the left, the same as if it had been moved by hand. The automatic tripping means herein causes the trip latch 142 to be knocked off or pushed off the pins 140 and 141 to permit the hook lever 149 to engage and operate the tripping lever when the suction nozzles fail to pick up a sheet.

Referring to Figures 3 to 6, on each side of the paper feed table 18 there is provided an upstanding bracket 31 and 32 which suitably support a tube 30. Within the latter is located a second tube or hollow shaft 152,-which at its one end adjacent the bracket 32 carries a handle 153. Below the shaft 152 the handle has a hook 154. The bracket 32 has secured thereto a tired bearing 155 and on the latter there is pivoted at 156 a bell crank lever having its two branches or arms in two different planes. One arm 157 extends in under the handle 153 and is formed with a stop notch 159. The other arm extends outside of the food table, see Figure 7, and downwardly and carries a pin 160. The bell crank 157159 is held in normal inactive position as shown in Figure 1 by a spring 161 which holds the arm 157 up against a pin 162 on the aforesaid bearing 155, and which spring therefore also holds the pin in the arm 159 against or in touch with the handle 143 of the trip latch 142, Fig. 1.

The bell crank arm 159 is connected by a link 163 to an upstanding arm 164 lining a hook 165. The arm is pivoted on the shaft 67. On the nozzle carrie -e arm 76 there is pivoted on red '78 a trip cylinder 166 which is a very small cylinder having a piston, not shown. to which is secured a piston stein 167. The latter is 1' 168 to a trip catch lever 169 pivetc to the arm 76. The trip catch lever the piston stem 167 are held in n nnal downward position on a stop pin by means of a spring 172 Wlilcll acts against a pin 173 in the trip catch lever. T is catih lever has a hook 174 adapted to engage the aforesaid hook 165. To the sha t 67 and adjacent the said arm 164 there is attired a cam 175 which lies in the path of the pin 173 which moves with the nozzle carriage arm 76.

Coiled around the said tube or shaft 152, Figure 4. is a spring 176 which engages the handle 153, Figure 5, and tends to turn said handle and shaft in a clockwise direction in Figures 3 and 5, and thus keeps the ham dle hook 154 in engagement with the stop notch end 158 of the bell crank arm 157. A pin 177, Fig. 5, limits the movement of the handle 153.

Referring now to Figures 7 and 9, it will be seen that on the opposite end of the hollow shaft 152 there is secured an arm 180 which has a pin 181 adapted to engage the valve opening arm 119.

The operation of the automatic tripping means is as ,follows:-Referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that during the normal operation, as the nozzle carriage swings from the paper to the platen, the hook 174 on the trip catch lever would engage the hook 165 on the upstanding arm 164, move the latter to the left and through the link 163 operate the bell crank 157-159 to ac tuate the trip latch and trip the press.

However, this does not occur, because when the suction is applied to the nozzles, it is also applied to the trip cylinder 166 through a hose 183 connecting the cylinder to the hollow rod 77, Figure 3, hence the piston and piston stem 167 is pulled up and the hook 174 is moved upwards out of the way of the hook 165, and of course the latter and the arm 164 do not move, hence the press is not tripped.

When, on the other hand, the suction nozzles fail to pick up a sheet, there is of course no vacuum created in the pipe system between the pump 106 and the nozzles and the trip cylinder 166, consequently, the piston stem 167 is not lifted, the trip catch lever 169 is not lifted and as the nozzle carriage swings to the left in Figure 3 towards the platen, the hook 174 engages the hook 165, and moves the latter to the left with the arm 164. Consequently the link 163 operates the bell crank 157-159 and the pin 160 pushes the trip latch off its pins and the hook lever 149 engages the lower pin 141 and trips the press.

At the same time, however, the bell crank arm 159 is moved rearward as aforesaid, the bell crank arm 157 is moved down as shown in Figure 5 until the stop notch end 158 rests on the pin 162. Thus the spring 176 is free to move the handle 153 in over the arm 157 as shown. That is to say, when the automatic trip operates, thehandle 153 and hollow shaft 152 are automatically rocked or moved so that at the other end of said shaft, the pin 181 may operate the valve arm 119 to permanently open thevalve or over and on the fixed cam 175 to lift the I hook 174 off from the other hook 165, see Figure 6.

To sum up :.lVhen the nozzles fail to pick up a sheet, the trip catch lever 169 re mains in its downward position, the two hooks 174 and 165 engage momentarily, long enough to operate the bell crank 157-159. The latter then causes the trip to be operated and also causes the vacuum to be permanently broken by opening valve 118 so long as the tripped condition is permitted to continue.

If such tripped condition is permitted to continue, the press will of course continue to operate, but the nozzles will not pick up any sheets, and as the nozzle carriage swing back and forth, the two hooks 174 and 165 will each time momentarily engage but nothing further will happen. After the trouble has been attended to, the handle 158 is manually moved rearward, that is, the handle hook 154 is moved back to the position shown in Figure 3, and the bell crank 157-159 will immediately be moved up into normal position as in Figure 3 by the spring 161 and the parts are again in normal working positions. The operator then of course moves the tripping lever 14 back into normal untripped position and at the same time with his hand raises the trip latch back upon the pins 140 and 141.

In connection with the tripping mecha nism itshould also be noted that while the press is tripped, the hook lever 149 continues to slide back and forth on the cam 144 but causes no further movement of the tripping lever 14 having already moved it into tripping position. Also, of course, that when the handle 153 is operated to reset the tripping means, the pin 181 is moved away from the valve lever 119 and the valve 118 is closed by its spring. The tripping mechanism is then ready to operate should for any reason the nozzles again fail to pick up a sheet.

The tripping mechanism also includes means for tripping the press in the event the delivery grippers fail to seize a printed sheet to remove it from the platen. Referring to Figure 3 so much of the delivery gripper is shown as is necessary to understand the tripping mechanism referring thereto. A full disclosure of the gripper and its operating mechanism is shown in the pending application referred to. For the purpose of this disclosure it is sufficient to state that the delivery gripper comprises a lower gripper jaw 230 and an upper gripper jaw 241 which are suitably supported on a gripper bar 198, Figure 1, carried by a suitable guiding support 192 which slides on a fixed rod 195. The support 192 is provided with a guide way 198 in which moves a roller 200 on the end of an arm 201. The arm is fast to a rock shaft 202, and the rock shaft 202 is operated by means of a short arm 203 and a link 201 connected at 205 to a slotted cam 206 actuated by a stud 207 which connects the connecting rod 9 to the platen locking cam 11. The cam 206 is suitably pivoted to the frame at 208, all as shown in Figure 1. The arrangement is such that the gripper on the bar 193 moved toward and away from the platen in synchronism with the movements of the press, but when for any reason the gripper fails to seize the printed sheet on the platen the tripping mechanism is automatically operated to trip the press.

To this end there pivoted on the upper gripper jaw at 252 a trip dog having a weighted head 1 and a tail 255. \"Vhen the gripper is open the trip dog rests by gravity on a pin 256 in the upper gripper jaw. hen the gripper closes the dog is of course thrown upward and becomes inactive in that then the tail 255 of the dog is lowered and the weighted head 25% then rests on top of the sheet which has been seized by the gripper. If the gripper does not seize a sheet the dog tail 255 will be automatically elevated as in Figure 3 the moment the grippers leave the platen. Thi. slight oscillatory movement of the trip dog is utilized to actuate the tripping mechanism whenever necessary.

Between. the paper pile and the platen there is hung a gripper trip 260 which is a thin piece of metal extending across the feeder, see Figures 1 and 7. The trip 260 fast on a shaft 261 carries an upstanding arm 262, which is connected by a link 263 to a hooked arm 26 1 pivoted on the aforesaid bearing piece 155, see Figures 3 and 5. The arm 264.- normally hooks in over a pin 265 fast on a finger 266 carried by a shaft 267 which lies inside the aforesaid hollow shaft 152 within the tube 30. The shaft 267 also carries a handle 268. On the other end of the shaft there is secured an arm 269 having a pin 270. The pin 265 is held in under the hooked arm 26 1 by a spring 271, Figure 3.

The operation is as follows :-If the gripper seizes a sheet, the trip dog tail 255 will remain lowered and on the delivery stroke pass under the gripper trip 260 without touching it. If the gripper fails to seize a sheet as in Figure 3, the tail 255 will be raised and on the delivery stroke strike the trip 260 passing thereunder. Consequently, the shaft 261 will be rocked slightly and through the link 263 the hook arm 264; will be moved away from the pin 265 wherefore the shaft .267 will be rotated slightly by spring 271. This movement is suflicient to cause the pin 270 on the other end of the shaft to open valve 118 in the valve chest. This of course breaks the vacuum in the suction nozzles, and this condition having been brought about, the press will be tripped as described in connection with the tripping mechanism above. The resetting is accomplished by moving both handles 268 and 153 back into original normal position. The reason for this indirect wayof operating the tripping mechanism when the grippers fail to deliver is, that it is impractical to construct the gripper trip device strong enough to pull directly on the trip ping means at 159 to knock the trip latch off the tripping lever 14. It should also be borne in mind that the tripping mechanism on a job press is a delicate device, which nevertheless must be arranged and constructed to act instantly whenever troubles occur requiring tripping. The objects have been accomplished by the aforesaid tripping means.

The invention has been disclosed in its preferred form, but it is to be understood that notaing hereinbefore stated is to be construed as a limitation, because changes and alterations may easily be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

To claim 1. The combination of a platen press tripping mechanism, a tripping lever for actuating the same, a link for operating said tripping lever, a member carried by the latter for maintaining said link in normal nonoperating position with respect to the said tripping lever, mechanism for removing said member away from the said link to cause the press to be tripped and suction operated means for actuating the said removing mechanism.

2. The combination of a platen press tripping mechanism, a tripping lever for actuating the same, mechanism for operating said tripping lever comprising a suction cylinder, means operated by the latter for causing said tripping lever to trip the press, and suction operated means for actu ating the said suction cylinder.

' 3. The combination of a platen press, :1 paper feeding device therefor comprising a paper feed table, paper separating means mounted on said table, a tripping mechanism for said press, devices for causing said tripping mechanism to trip the press and means mounted on said paper feed table and operated by said paper separating means for actuating the said devices.

4. The combination of a platen press, a tripping mechanism therefor, a tri" 3 lever for cperatiig said a,

operated paper separating means, devices for causing said tripping lever to act, a gripping mechanism, and means on the latter for actuating said suction operated separating means to operate the said devices to effect the tripping of the press.

5. The combination of a platen press, a tripping mechanism therefor, a tripping lever for operating said mechanism to trip the press, paper separating means, members operated by the latter for causing said tripping lever to act, and a fixed member for normally preventing the operation 01": the 

